I Stand
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: It was a simple question, with simple answers. But for Fiyero & Elphaba, their answer isn't simple. They can't live without each other. When their choice takes a devestating turn, it's up to their friends to unravel the truth. Better summary inside. A/U.
1. Chapter 1

**I Stand**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Summary: What do I stand for? It was a simple question, with both simple and complex answers. But for Fiyero and Elphaba, their answer isn't as simple. Because, you see, they can't live without each other. When their choice takes a devestating turn, it's up to their friends to put the pieces back together; revealing a damaged society and love stronger than death. **

"Yero. Are we really doing the right thing?"

"Of course we are. You know that, Fae."

"I know."

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Slowly, they walked to the edge. She looked back at him.

"Are we really going to do this, Yero?"

"What choice do we have?"

She thought a moment, her mind going over the options. They were slim to none. It was give in or.....death.

"You're right. We don't. We don't have a choice. We did, but....I can't live without you."

"And I can't live without you, my Fae."

Their lips connected in a brief, gentle kiss, each savoring the taste of the other. It would be a long while before they would be able to taste each other again. Then, they turned back to the edge, looking over, seeing what awaited them. Her heartbeat started quickening, and spots appeared in front of her eyes. He suddenly felt vertigo overtake him, and reached out, feeling her fingers wrap around his, linking them tight. Both tried to concentrate on something other than what awaited them below, and instead, focused on each other.

"Ready Yero?" She asked, meeting his eyes. He nodded.

"Ready Fae."

They squeezed hands, and looked back to make sure no one was watching them. Making sure no one was there, they returned to their view. If they'd looked back, they would have seen the blonde hurrying across the roof. They would have seen the two boys hurrying behind her. They would have heard their protests as they stepped off the edge. But they didn't, because the wind threw their protests back at them.

They looked at each other, shared another chaste kiss- "I want to remember your taste." Fiyero whispered, seeing her smile- turned back to the edge.

And jumped.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: The majority of this story is going to be done in italics, because it's looking back at the past, when Elphaba and Fiyero were still alive. **

They had seen them jump. They'd called their names, begged them not to. But no avail. They hadn't heard. And so they'd jumped. She'd gotten to the edge, in time to lean over and see them both disappear beneath the water's surface. The last she had seen, were the ends of Elphaba's long, thick, gorgeous black hair floating on the watery surface before disappearing beneath.

What they were doing on the roof of Briscoe Hall? Didn't they know that the Suicide Canal ran directly below? Didn't they know that they'd be caught eventually?

Didn't they know that they could have run away together? Didn't they know what others would say?

Glinda crumpled to the rooftop, her arms wrapping around herself, tears slipping down her cheeks. They could have run away, gotten married, lived happily together in some little cottage somewhere, raising a family and loving each other. Glinda had seen Fiyero lean towards her, had seen him kiss her one final time, had seen him whisper something that she couldn't make out, but saw a smile form on Elphaba's face. She assumed he'd said something to make her smile one last time.

Boq and Avaric stopped directly behind her.

"They did it, didn't they? They jumped." Avaric whispered. Glinda didn't answer, just choked out a sob, burying her face in her hands. Silent, Boq knelt next to her, and rubbed her back. Sobbing, Glinda slowly placed herself in Boq's arms, allowing him to rub her back.

Avaric turned away from the edge, tears in his eyes. His best friend was dead. And the girl he loved. Both were now submerged completely under water. It was sick.

When they finally returned to the ground, the police were pulling the bodies from the Canal. Students gathered around, watching as their classmates were pulled from the water. Glinda watched with tear-filled eyes as they gently, carefully lifted Elphaba's body from the water. Her dress clung to her body, her hair plastered to her forehead. And as Glinda looked closer, she saw that her best friend's skin wasn't green-

It was white.

As white as Glinda's own skin. She put two and two together, gasping in shock. The thing Elphaba had always wanted in life- her skin changed- was the one thing she recieved in death. It was a shame she didn't live to see it.

As they continued to pull her out, something stopped them, and they turned back, seeing Elphaba's fingers brushing the water. As they continued to gently pull, they saw another hand emerge. Tan in color, with blue diamond tattoos.

Fiyero.

Soon, they had them both out of the water. The police had left them together, allowing them to be conjoined in death, as they had been in life. When the police covered them with the sheet, Glinda turned away, burying her face in Boq's shoulder.

Their deaths were ruled suicide, and no one ever questioned it. It wasn't until the spring semester of the next year- what would have been Elphaba and Fiyero's second- that Glinda, Avaric and Boq decided to look into their friends' deaths, to figure out exactly _why_ they died. Determined, Glinda decided on where they should start.

Fiyero and Elphaba's childhoods.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"Here it is." Glinda said as Boq and Avaric gathered around. A book was open on the table in front of her.

"What is it?" Avaric asked. Glinda looked up at him. Then, with tears in her voice, she said,

"Elphie's diary."

Together, they read the first entry, soon becoming caught up in young Elphaba's wildest dreams and fantasies.

_She looked around quickly, checking to make sure no one was watching her. Then, she turned to the book in her lap. Taking a deep breath, she put pen to paper and began to write, her long black hair falling over her shoulder. _

_May 20th_

_The Meadow_

_Colwen Grounds_

_Nessa gave me this diary for my birthday last September. I put it in a drawer and forgot about it. Father doesn't care that I have a diary, as far as he's concerned, I don't amount to anything, so why should my opinion matter? So, I only write in this when I have time and I'm alone, making sure I'm never watched, so I have some peace. Plus, this is the only time I have to myself, besides when I'm asleep. _

_I had the most wonderful dream last night. I was older- fourteen, maybe sixteen- and I was in this beautiful white dress. And guess what. My skin was white. White! Almost as white as Nessa's. And I was in this man's arms. He was twirling me around and dancing with me. He had tan skin and the most gorgeous blue diamonds running down the right side of his body. And his eyes. They were gorgeous. Deep, deep blue. And he had a smile only reserved for me. He didn't care about my skin color. He said that it was pretty. And.....he called me.....Fae. _

_If only he were real. _

_She finished the entry, and closed her diary, before slipping it into her basket. She'd brought the basket so she could collect wildflowers in the meadow. Something to cheer Nessa up. Getting up, she moved to the meadow, and soon lost herself in the poppies. She didn't plan on picking a boy when she went out to pick flowers. But that's exactly what she picked. _

_"Hey!" _

_They looked up, meeting eyes. His eyes were the same shade of blue as the man's eyes in her dream. _

_"Who are you?" She asked. He looked around, shuffling his feet akwardly. _

_"I'm.....I'm Fiyero." He replied finally, meeting her eyes. "Who are you?" _

_"I'm---"_

_"And have you always been green?" He asked, advancing. Elphaba tripped over her basket and ended up on her back. He stood over her. For a moment, she thought he was going to kick her like the other children did. Instead, he held a hand out. She took it, and he helped her up. _

_"I'm......Elphaba." She said, swallowing nervously. "And yes, I've always been green." She said softly. "Why? You got a problem with that?" She demanded, advancing on him. He tripped over his feet and ended up sitting. Slowly, she joined him. _

_"N....No. I like green. It's my favorite color." Fiyero replied, looking at her. _

_"Well, it's not mine. I hate it." He furrowed his brow. _

_"Then what's your favorite color." She met his eyes shyly._

_"Blue." _

_Their eyes locked, and slowly, they leaned in, their lips connecting in a clumsy first kiss. It didn't last long, only long enough for their lips to attach, when Fiyero was yanked away. The kids looked up, seeing a stern looking woman standing over them. _

_"Fiyero! What in Oz's name do you think you're doing?" _

_"Nothing!" _

_"There you are! And what--- despoiling royal blood!" Fiyero looked up, seeing a man holding Elphaba roughly by the arm. _

_"I wasn't!" She cried. _

_"Shut up, you!" And faster than Fiyero could blink, the man struck her, red exploding over her beautiful green skin. Tears welled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Instead, she met his eyes, pride shining. Pride she refused to relinquish. _

_"I'm sorry Your Majesty." _

_"That's all right, Governor." _

_Governor? _

_Majesty?_

_Before the kids could ask, the parents turned to go. _

_"Wait! Elphaba--" He caught her gaze before they turned to go back to Colwen Grounds. _

_"Goodbye Fi--"_

_All he heard as she turned to go was,_

_"Goodbye Yero."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4. **

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: I was just in a five-car crash- one subaru, two pick-ups- which my Saturn was sandwiched between- and a honda civic. My car is totaled, and I'm shaken. I've got slight chest and side pain, but I'm all right. So this chapter is short. I'm having a hard time typing without shaking, but I'll try to get everything updated.**

**Thanks to lizziemagic, Beautifully Tragic Ozian, James Birdsong and bekito7 for reviewing 3. **

Glinda looked up.

"She dreamed of Fiyero."

Avaric shrugged.

"We don't know who she was dreaming of. Listen, 'He had tan skin and the most gorgeous blue diamonds running down the right side of his body. And his eyes. They were gorgeous. Deep, deep blue.' That could be anybody, not just Fiyero."

Glinda shook her head.

"I think it's Fiyero. It has to be. It couldn't be anyone else."

They didn't debate, turning back to the diary.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5. **

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Update on my car: I found a Subaru Forester, for $8200, that's in good condition, so I bought it- after they totaled my Saturn of course. And I'm feeling better, but I think the shock is starting to set in.....**

**A/N: It's Dee's song....**

**A/N: Don't worry, Yero's side of the story will be within the next few chapters so you get both sides, after all, there _are_ two sides to every story....**

**Thanks to FabalaTiggular, lizziemagic, witch-of-the-west9482, and StuckInSouthstairs for reviewing 4.**

Later that night, Glinda sat curled up in bed, a cup of tea in her hands, Elphie's diary in her lap. A fire crackled in the fireplace, throwing shadows on Elphaba's side of the room. When she'd gotten back to the dorm, Glinda had wandered around the abandoned side of the room, searching for a suicide note of any kind. She'd found nothing. What she had found, scared her more than the contents of a supposed note.

A book, marked with a ribbon, lay on the desk. Her thin, black nightgown was at the bottom of her closet, and her cape tossed over the desk chair. The bottle was still tucked under her pillow. But what had sent chills down Glinda's spine, were the reading glasses resting on the nightstand. She'd worn them the night before, when she'd sat in bed, reading, her long raven hair tumbling out of its customary plait.

Now, Glinda read through Elphie's diary, sipping her tea silently as her best friend's childhood unfurled before her....

_"Elphaba! Elphaba!" _

_The girl looked up, turning her gaze from the window to look at Nanny. Nanny, a woman of- if Elphaba were to guess- sixty, was originally her mother, Melena's, nanny. When Melena died, Nanny looked after the girls; being the closest thing to a mother either Elphaba, or her sister Nessarose, ever had. She was an aging woman, with skin that seemed to be made of chicken fat, and eyes that saw all. She scared Elphaba, plain and simple. _

_"Well, don't just sit there, come help." _

_Slowly, the eight-year-old went to the woman, washing her hands before taking the bread dough and kneading it. As her hands worked on the soft dough, her mind drifted back to three days earlier, when she'd met the boy in the meadow. He'd been hiding from something- or someone- probably the witch that had taken him away. He'd been hiding in her meadow. They'd sat together, talking for a while, before attempting a clumsy, first kiss. Of course, when the adults had found out- turns out the woman was his mother- they'd gotten in trouble. Frex had struck her- in front of the boy, before dragging her back into the house. He'd lectured her on the dishonor she was bringing to their family, and sent her to bed without supper. Nessa had snuck some stew to her later that night when she'd gone to bed._

_She'd thought about him for the last three days. The boy with the diamond tattoos and the blue eyes. _

_Yero._

_"Elphaba!" She snapped out of her reviere, when Nanny took the dough from her. "Give it to me. Now go on. Get. You're of no use in the kitchen like this. Go find something to do." The girl did as told, fleeing to her room upstairs. Once she'd closed the door, she grabbed her diary and lay on her bed, opening the diary to the second page. _

_May 23rd_

_My Room_

_Colwen Grounds_

_I've been banished to my room-- again. Apparently, Nanny thinks that I'm of no use in the kitchen. Old witch. She thinks she's my caretaker, just because she was Mama's when Mama was a girl. I don't need her to look after me....I can take care of myself. I always have...._

_I dreamed about that man again. The man with the blue eyes. And about Yero. I think about him all the time.....it turns out, that that ugly woman that took him away is his mother. The queen of the Vinkus. So that makes Yero the prince of the Vinkus. I kissed a prince. Well, it wasn't really a kiss....was it? What's a kiss anyway? Technically speaking, a kiss is pressure put on two peoples' lips, equal pressure shared by both. So, in a sense, I shared equal pressure with a prince. _

_I've dreamt about that kiss for the last three days. It's the only kiss I'll ever get...._

_"Elphaba!" _

_The girl sat up, turning, to see Frex in the doorway. _

_"Yes Father?" _

_"Dinner's ready." _

_"Okay. I'll be right down." He nodded, before leaving. She turned back to her diary, and closed it slowly, before getting up and putting it on her desk. Then, she left, heading down to the dining room. Once she'd slipped into her seat and dinner started, Frex asked, _

_"What have you been up to today, Elphaba?" The girl swallowed, before speaking. _

_"Um....I did my chores, and attempted to help Nanny with dinner--"_

_"Attempted?"_

_"Y--Yes." She stammered. _

_"Elphaba isn't as...skilled in the kitchen as she should be. I sent her up to her room. Better to have dinner ready than have it attempted." Nanny cut in. _

_Hurt and anger boiled in Elphaba's stomach, but she pushed it down. She hated Nanny; oh, how she hated her. _

_"Yes, well, she'll gain the skill over the years, Nanny." Frex said. "Won't you, Elphaba?" The girl nodded. Soon, dinner ended, and they retired to the parlor. After settling Nessa on the sofa with Frex, Elphaba tried slipping upstairs. _

_"Elphaba!" _

_"Yes, Father?" She asked, turning, startled. _

_"Sing for us." Swallowing, she nodded, going to the piano. Besides having to pay for her tuition, Frex also paid for Elphaba's piano lessons. The one thing the girl could do well, was sing, and therefore, needed to know how to play the piano. As she sat at the piano, her breath came in quick gasps. _

_"What do you want me to sing, Father?" She asked, looking up at him. _

_"Whatever you can think of." He said, joining Nessa on the sofa. Elphaba nodded, trying hard to think of something she knew. But soon, her fingers developed minds of their own, and she began to play, a tune she had never heard before, and not long after, her voice followed, her eyes closing. _

_"Don't know just where I'm going  
And tomorrow, it's a little overwhelming  
And the air is cold  
And I'm not the same anymore  
I've been running in your direction  
For to long now  
I've lost my own reflection  
And I can't look down  
If you're not there to catch me when I fall._

_If this is the moment I stand here on my own  
If this is my rite of passage that somehow leads me home  
I might be afraid  
But it's my turn to be brave  
If this is the last chance before we say goodbye  
At least it's the first day of the rest of my life  
I can't be afraid  
Cause it's my turn to be brave_

_All along all I ever wanted, was to be the light  
When your life was daunting  
But I can't see mine  
When I feel as though you're pushing me away  
Well who's to blame, are we making the right choices  
Cause we can't be sure if we're hearing our own voices  
As we close the door even though we are so desperate to stay_

_If this is the moment I stand here on my own  
If this is my rite of passage that somehow leads me home  
I might be afraid  
But it's my turn to be brave  
If this is the last chance before we say goodbye  
At least it's the first day of the rest of my life  
I can't be afraid  
Cause it's my turn to be brave_

_And I might still cry  
And I might still bleed  
These thorns in my side  
This heart on my sleeve  
And lightening may strike  
This ground at my feet  
And I might still crash  
But I still believe_

_This is the moment I stand here all alone  
With everything I have inside, everything I own  
I might be afraid  
But it's my turn to be brave  
If this is the last time before we say goodbye  
At least it's the first day of the rest of my life  
I can't be afraid  
Cause it's my turn to be brave"_

_Through the entire song, the others sat silent, listening to the girl's mesmerizing voice. When she finished and quickly got up, Frex stopped her. _

_"Fabala."_

_The girl closed her eyes and winced, waiting for the contact between fist and cheek. It never came. Slowly, one eye opened, followed by the other, and she looked at her father. He was smiling at her- a very rare occurence._

_"That was beautiful."  
_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chpater 6.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to James Birdsong and FabalaTiggular for reviewing 5.**

The next afternoon, Avaric slipped into Fiyero's dorm, and looked around. Everything was left as it had been the day he died. Slowly, he went to the desk, seeing a photograph of him and Elphaba together. Fiyero's arms were wrapped around her waist, lifting her off the ground, spinning her around, her back pressed into his chest. Both were laughing, Elphaba's head was thrown back, her eyes closed in joy. Fiyero's lips were pressed against her forehead. They looked so happy, so....alive.

Avaric reached out, picking up the photograph. He remembered when it was taken; he had taken it.

_"Have you seen Elphie and Yero?" Glinda asked, as she, Boq, and Avaric left Ozian Literature. _

_"Last I saw of them, they were sitting in the cafeteria eating breakfast, talking softly together." Milla said, catching up to them. "Don't bother checking, I was just there. They weren't. Anyway, I gotta get to Theater, I'll see you guys later." The others waved goodbye before the girl dashed off. _

_"I'd better get going too. I have Life Sciences in about ten minutes. That'll give me enough time to get a cup of coffee and get to class. See you." And Boq left, headed for the cafeteria. The remaining two had the same lunch period, along with Elphaba and Fiyero, who's classes were in the morning. They had one class in the afternoon; History, at four. Finally, the two came upon the Canal, hearing laughter followed by the sound of crunching leaves. _

_Making their way to the Canal, they caught sight of a young couple, throwing leaves at each other. As they got closer, Glinda saw that it was Elphie and Yero. Both were in coats; Elphie had abandoned her heavy wool cloak for a black pea coat with shiny black buttons. Yero also wore a pea coat, only dark brown in color. They had gloves on, and Elphaba wore a navy blue beret with a blue puffball on top. Scarves were around both their necks, and Elphaba's was loose around her shoulders; a dark, navy blue. Glinda saw that Elphaba had abandoned her skirt for a pair of jeans, the newest fashion among girls; Glinda herself, had never caught on to it, she saw women wearing men's clothes as being vulgar, but she didn't say anything to Elphie about it. _

_"Hey! Elphie! Yero!" _

_The two ignored their friends, they were too busy throwing leaves at each other. _

_"Gotcha!" Elphie cried, throwing a handful of leaves in her boyfriend's face. Shaking the leaves from his auburn hair, Fiyero advanced, leaves in his hands. "No.....No....Yero, DON'T YOU DARE!" She screamed, backing up, as he pounced. Leaves flew everywhere, as the couple landed in a pile of orange, red, and brown leaves, Elphie underneath him. "Yero!" She whined, only to be cut off by his lips on hers. _

_Their friends stopped a few feet from them, watching as the young couple kissed. Other students passed by, snickering or whispering behind their hands, throwing Fiyero and Elphaba disgusted looks as they went. The couple ignored them. Finally, Fiyero sat up, pulling Elphaba with him. _

_"The leaves really add color to your ensemble." He joked, picking dead leaves out of her hair. _

_"And you don't need any more color." She replied, her nimble fingers removing bits of broken leaves from his hair and scarf. They shared a quick kiss, before breaking apart at the sound of someone clearing their throat. "Glinda. Avaric. What a pleasant surprise. Don't you have class now?" Elphie asked, as Yero got to his feet, and then helped her to hers. He wrapped her in his arms, kissing her hair. _

_"No. We have lunch. You?" Glinda replied. Elphie and Yero were graduating a year early, so they could be together. They'd gotten two years done in their first year, and only needed a few classes this year before they could graduate in the spring. _

_"Just....having fun." Elphie said, pulling away from Fiyero and turning to him, gently pushing on his chest as she rose on her toes to kiss him. He lifted her off her feet, causing her to squeak in surprise. When he finally set her on her feet, she pulled away, and took his hand, spinning herself before going still, content to rest in his arms, her back pressed into his chest. It was then that Fiyero lifted her up and spun her around, to her squeal of delight. _

_Seeing them, Avaric raised his camera, and at the exact moment, they faced forward again, Fiyero's lips on her forehead, he captured the moment in time for eternity._

Tears in his eyes, Avaric set the photograph back on the desk, and turned back to the room. As he turned his attention to the bed, something caught his eye. Going to the nightstand, he pulled the drawer open; it was filled with....stuff. He pulled the drawer fully out, and sat on the bed. A black Vinkun scarf with red roses on it was what had caught his eye- the edge was hanging out of the drawer. Slowly, he lifted the scarf fully out of the drawer, examining the roses on the black background. It smelled faintly of sex, of a woman's perfume-oils?- and shampoo.

_The scarf was wrapped around her waist, her hair tumbling around her shoulders, as she pulled him to her. She was slick with oil- rosewood and vanilla- and as he kissed her skin, it transferred to his skin, until they both smelled sweetly of the oil she bathed with. His hair was damp, and she pressed her nose into the locks, breathing in the scent of pine. Slowly, they became one..._

Setting the scarf down, he returned his attention to the rest of the drawer's contents. There was a necklace- a long, lavalier necklace- a white gold chain with an emerald pendant.

_"Happy Anniversary, Fae." _

_She took the box, lifting the lid. Her eyes widened, and she gasped as she lifted the lavalier from the box. _

_"Oh Yero. It's beautiful."_

_"Do you like it?" He waited, hopeful. She met his eyes. _

_"I love it. Thank you!" She threw her arms around his neck, kissing him before pulling away and allowing him to put it on her. When she'd adjusted the necklace, she took his face in her hands, kissing him gently. "I love it. Thank you."_

It looked almost like the lavalier Elphaba used to wear. Sighing, Avaric set it down on top of the scarf, and returned to the chest. He pulled out a pair of gloves, the feel of something in in one of the fingers. Pulling the glove on, he grabbed it, and pulled his hand out. Unfolding it, he found that it was a piece of paper; Fiyero had been passing notes with someone. On closer inspection, Avaric recognized Elphaba's neat scroll.

_The paper felt cool under his hand, and he snapped out of his usual daydreaming, to see the folded piece of paper on his desk. Making sure the professor wasn't looking, he slowly unfolded it, and read the neat scroll in front of him._

_Pretty boring today, isn't it? Dr. Dillamond's even putting me to sleep. _

_He looked up, trying to figure out who had sent him the note, when the girl in front of him turned, and looked discreetly over her shoulder, her long, raven hair tumbling onto his desk. She smiled at him, before turning back around. Slowly, he returned to the note. _

_Yeah. Real boring. And to think, I could be doing something more entertaining right now, if I weren't sitting in class. _

_Folding the paper back up, he reached up, poking her in the back. He saw her reach behind her, pretending to scratch an itch, and watched her hand stop, palm up, fingers bent to catch the note. Silent, he dropped the note into her hand, and watched it disappear. She read it, and responded quickly, folding it up, and reaching behind her to scratch her back. She stopped, waiting, fingers open to allow him to take it from her. Once he had, her hand disappeared to the front of her, resting on the desk. _

_Like what? Dancing? No....No wait. I know. Sex. Right?_

_He chuckled softly, before replying,_

_No. Contrary to popular belief, Elphaba, I'm waiting for the right one to come along. And what I meant was going for a cup of coffee or going to a bookstore. I may be royal, but I'm not stupid._

_When she had taken the note back, she read it, snorting in response, causing the professor to turn to her. _

_"Miss Elphaba, is there something you find funny?" Dr. Dillamond asked. She shook her head, crumpling the note in her fist. _

_"No Doctor." _

_"Good. Then I suggest you pay attention." _

_"Yes Doctor." She whispered, as he returned to the lecture. She glanced at everyone else, all shocked that the green girl, the A student got reprimanded by a professor. She uncrumpled the note, read it again, and hastily wrote her reply, slipping it behind her back. Fiyero took it, reading silently. _

_I know you're not stupid. I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry. Do you....want to go for coffee after class? _

_A small smile came to his lips, and he wrote back,_

_I'd love to._

As he set the note and gloves down, he turned back to the drawer, seeing a metal cookie tin left. He picked it up, and set the drawer on the bed next to him. There were rubberbands around the tin, and as he went to remove the first one, he stopped, hearing footsteps outside the room. Quickly, he gathered the articles and placed them in his bag, before placing the drawer back in the nightstand and silently moving to the door. He stood, quietly listening as the people outside stopped, talked for a few minutes, and then left. Once he was sure they were gone, he slipped out of Fiyero's dorm, and hurried out of Briscoe Hall, going to meet Glinda and Boq in Elphie's dorm.

He couldn't wait to show them what he'd found.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: What did he find?**

**Answer: you'll find out**

**Thanks to kiltedwonder for reviewing 6.**

"Glinda! Boq!"

Avaric burst into the dorm room, to see Glinda and Boq sorting through Elphie's things. A patch of weak sunlight fell into the room through the window, splayed across the floor near Elphie's bed. For a moment, he thought he saw Elphaba sitting on her bed, legs swinging back and forth, watching her friends silently, her long raven hair tumbling down her back. He blinked, however, and the soon, the apparition vanished, not before looking up and meeting Avaric's eyes.

"Avaric? What is it? What's wrong?"

He started, to see Glinda and Boq paused in their sorting, watching him with worry in their eyes. He removed the bag from his shoulder, and lifted it up, nodding to it.

"Your bag? Avaric, I thought we told you to look through Fiyero's room! Oz Avaric! You're useless!" She snapped, sitting down on her bed.

"Hey! I did search Yero's room! And I found this!" He snapped back, opening the bag and removing the contents onto her bed. Slowly, Glinda reached out, picking up the scarf.

_The scarf was wrapped around her waist, her hair tumbling around her shoulders, as she pulled him to her. She was slick with oil- rosewood and vanilla- and as he kissed her skin, it transferred to his skin, until they both smelled sweetly of the oil she bathed with. His hair was damp, and she pressed her nose into the locks, breathing in the scent of pine. Slowly, they became one..._

She set it down, and then lifted up the lavalier.

_"Oh Yero. It's beautiful."_

_Her eyes widened, and she gasped as she lifted the lavalier from the box._

The emerald swung gently back and forth.

_"Oh Elphie! It's beautiful! Where did you get it?" _

_The green girl played with the chain, wrapping it around her fingers. _

_"Yero gave it to me for our anniversary." _

"This was Elphie's. Fiyero gave it to her for their anniversary. She....she never took it off." Glinda said, holding the necklace in her hand, looking at the emerald.

"Then why was it in Fiyero's nightstand drawer?" Avaric asked. Glinda shrugged, never taking her eyes off the emerald.

_"I know I never take it off."_

_"Then why are you taking it off now?" _

_"Because if I wore it, it would just get in the way." She purred, pulling him closer. _

_"If you leave it on the bed, it's going to get lost."_

_"Then put it in the drawer. I'll get it later, when we're done." She said, pulling the drawer open and dropping it in._

_"Who said we'd be done later?" _

Boq set the note down, along with the gloves, and picked up the tin.

"What's this?" He asked, looking at Avaric, who shrugged.

"I don't know."

Slowly, Boq removed the rubber bands, lifting the lid.

"Oh my Oz."

"What? Boq? What is it?" Glinda asked, moving towards him. Avaric joined them, as Boq reached inside.

"They're....letters."

"What?" She took the first one, reading the address.

"They're all addressed to Colwen Grounds." She said, opening the letter.

"Colwen Grounds. Isn't that the Govenor's mansion?" Avaric asked. The other two nodded.

"Elphie's father is the Govenor. She would have been Eminent Thropp if....." Boq stopped, eyes scanning over the contents of one letter. Avaric's eyes scanned the letter he held in his own hands.

"Why would Yero have a bunch of letters from Colwen Grounds? Unless he was writing Nessa....." Avaric said.

"No. Fiyero didn't know Nessa. He only met her last year, he didn't know her long enough to accumulate all these letters." Boq said. "Unless....."

He finished reading, and looked up that the others.

"Boq? What is it? What's wrong?" Glinda asked, concerned. He met her eyes.

"These are from Elphaba."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: I wonder what the letters said**

**Answer: You'll find out periodically through the story, the first one being in this chapter. **

**Thanks to kiltedwonder, lizziemagic, and bekito7 for reviewing 7.**

"What do you mean they're from--"

"_Dear Yero,_

_I really want to see you again. I miss you. I know we've only met once, but you were so much fun. I enjoyed talking with you...and...what happened after. I don't mean when my dad showed up, I mean...the...kiss. I....I liked it. Did you? Probably not, but I can dream, can't I? After all, who would want to kiss a green freak. The only thing I can do right is play the piano and sing...."_

They stopped, listening as Boq read Elphaba's letter. Slowly, they all sat down, Boq slowly lowering himself to Elphaba's bed. They listened to Elphaba's letter, as she talked about her singing and her family.

_"I would love to go to the Vinkus, I bet it's amazing! I hope to hear from you soon. _

_ Elphaba_

"They were pen pals." Avaric siad.

"We don't know that. Elphaba was writing to Fiyero, we don't know that he was writing back." Glinda said, looking at the letter in her hands. Elphaba's neat scroll ran across the page, and Glinda blinked back tears as the words began to blur in front of her.

"He had to be." Boq said.

"What do you mean?" Glinda asked.

"Well, look, she says, 'You're letters are the only thing that keeps me from feeling lonely.' He had to be writing to her. There's no other explanation." Boq said.

"Well if she was, we don't know where the letters are, or if she even kept them! She probably threw them out for all we know!" Glinda cried, getting up and going to her best friend's desk.

"Not if they were from Fiyero. She probably kept his letters; they were precious to her. She probably hid them somewhere-"

"Somewhere only she would know." Avaric finished. Boq nodded.

"So, what do we do?" Glinda asked, looking at the two boys. Boq looked at them, then back at Elphaba's letter.

"We start looking for Fiyero's letters."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: next chapter we'll get to see fiyero's letters rite?**

**Answer: maybe...**

**Thanks to StuckInSouthstairs and lizziemagic for reviewing 8.**

Later that night, after Avaric and Boq left, Glinda looked through the letters her best friend had written to her lover. Sighing, she got up, going to Elphaba's desk and rummaging through the drawers, searching for Fiyero's letters.

Nothing.

Slowly, her eyes wandered over the pens and paper, the books, before landing on the photograph in the corner of her desk, across from the desk lamp. She picked it up, looking at it. It was a photograph from a year ago, when Elphaba was still happy, still alive. In the photograph, were Elphaba, Fiyero, Glinda, and Boq, sitting on the grass under the cherry tree near the Canal. The same canal that her friends had thrown themselves into. If she remembered correctly, not long after she and Boq had shown up, Elphaba had struggled to say something. She hadn't found the right words, and soon gave up.

_"I never thought class would get out." _

_"I was far too distracted to pay attention today." Fiyero replied. Elphaba raised an eyebrow. _

_"Really? What distracted you?" She asked coyly, watching him, waiting for a reply. He pulled her into his arms. _

_"Well, for starters, there was this....absolutley gorgeous young woman sitting next to me, running her foot up and down my leg all through class."_

_"Really?" She asked, feigning shock. He nodded. _

_"Yes, a beautiful woman with, gorgeous green feet and snapping hazel eyes." He said, reaching down and grabbing her bare foot, bringing her toes to his lips. Gently, he trailed kisses from her toes up, eliciting giggles from his girlfriend. _

_"Yero! Stop! I'm ticklish!" He set her foot down, grabbing the other one and repeating the process. Soon, she lay on her back in the grass, as he sat next to her, her feet in his lap, as he gently rubbed the arch of one foot and then the other. A smile played on her lips, and she reached up, brushing his hair out of his eyes. _

_"I was distracted today too." She said. _

_"You were? During the same class?" He asked, as she nodded. _

_"Yes. I was....sitting next to this scandaliously handsome prince, who would... lay his hand on my thigh," She whispered huskily, sitting up and leaning close. "And, every so often, he'd...squeeze my thigh. It was....quite distracting." She said, reaching down and squeezing his thigh gently. He chuckled, before capturing her lips in his. They stayed attached at the lips for several moments, before Elphaba lay back in the grass, enjoying the feel of his hands working on her feet. _

_They looked up when a shadow was cast over Elphaba. _

_"What are you two doing?" Glinda asked, as Boq wrapped her in his arms. The two had just started dating a few weeks ago. Slowly, Elphaba sat up. _

_"Just...hanging out. You?" _

_"Not much. Just got out of class." Boq said, as the two joined them on the grass. _

_"So, looking forward to the weekend?" Glinda asked, as Elphaba moved over, climbing into Fiyero's lap. His arms went around her out of instinct, and she played with the end of her jean jacket. _

_"Um...a...actually.." Elphaba started, glancing up at her friend as she tucked a long strand of raven hair behind her ear. _

_"What is it, Elphie?" Glinda asked, waiting for her friend to reply. _

_"Y...Yero and I...um.....we...we..." She looked back at her boyfriend, before returning her eyes to her jacket. She sighed. "Nevermind. It's not important." _

_Slowly, Glinda nodded, as she leaned back in Boq's arms. They watched Elphaba and Fiyero converse softly, their foreheads pressed together. _

_"I love you." She giggled. _

_"I love you." _

_They shared a gentle kiss, before returning to their converstaion. Glinda looked up at the sound of voices, to see a few classmates pass._

_"Freaks!"_

_"Why don't you return to the circus you both escaped from! No one wants you around here!" _

_Elphaba wrapped her arms around Fiyero's neck, her forehead pressed against his, watching the students out of the corner of her eye. Once they were gone, Boq and Glinda turned to their friends. _

_"Why didn't you say anything?" Glinda demanded. _

_"It doesn't matter. It doesn't affect us, so it's not important." Elphaba said, nudging her nose against Fiyero's cheek. _

_"What do you mean it doesn't matter? They hurt you!" _

_"People just can't accept people that are different to them. They feel threatened by individuality." Fiyero said, as Elphaba gently nibbled on his neck. She pulled away, pressing her nose against his again, a smile playing on her face. Glinda and Boq watched them, until they heard another voice. _

_"Hey! Boq! Glinda! Look over here!" They turned, seeing Avaric a few feet away with his camera. "Elphie! Yero!" The others didn't look up. They were too wrapped up in each other to notice. Seeing that he wasn't going to get a reaction, he snapped the photo anyway._

Tears came to her eyes, and she set the photograph down, before turning to her friend's closet. Inside, hung Elphie's clothes, her coats and dresses, undergarments and shoes. Glinda's hand found the hatbox sitting at the back of her closet, and she pulled it out. She opened it, and slowly pulled out the black, pointed, conical hat Elphaba had worn for the drama club's production of Wizard of Oz last year.

_"Everyone ready?" _

_Glinda adjusted the crown on her head, and smoothed the skirt of her gown. She jumped when she heard a cackle, and turned, to see Elphaba, dressed in a long, form-fitting black dress with a conical pointed black hat on her head. _

_"Ready, my pretty?" Elphaba asked. Glinda rolled her eyes. _

_"Ready." She took her friend's arm, and rushed to join the rest of the cast. _

She returned the hat to the box, and placed it back in the closet. Then, she rummaged around, feeling for the letters. Instead, she pulled out a box. Inside, was a pair of black satin slippers, and a beautiful, teal dress.

_"Elphie! Hurry up! We'll be late for the party!" _

_"I'm coming!" _

_Boq and Fiyero were waiting as well; Boq was dressed as RiffRaff from Rocky Horror, Glinda was in a 1950s poodleskirt and saddle shoes, and Fiyero was dressed as one of Jane Austen's male leads- complete with ruffled shirt and boots. _

_"Elphie!"_

_"All right! All right!" _

_Glinda turned, seeing Elphaba come out of the bathroom. _

_The green girl looked like a character straight out of one of Jane Austen's novels. She was dressed in a long, beautiful on the shoulder teal dress. Her hair was pulled back onto a beautiful pile on her head, and she had a pair of black slippers on. A black lace fan was in her hands, which were covered in black lace gloves, and she had a black heroine cape was on her shoulders. A small black and silver pendant hung around her neck, which she then unscrewed, revealing it to be a perfume bottle of some kind. She looked beautiful. _

_"Miss Woodhouse." _

_Elphaba giggled, hiding behind her hand, a deep blush coming over her features as Fiyero took her hand and gently kissed her knuckles. _

_"Mr. Knightley." She replied softly, wtching him through her lashes. A smile appeared on her face, and he pulled her to him. "You look beautiful."_

_"Mr. Knightley, what an improper thing to say." She replied, before breaking into giggles. He kissed her gently. _

_"Elphie, wow. You look...beautiful." _

_"Thanks Glinda." _

"Oh Elphie." She broke down, crumpling to the floor, the dress in her arms. She pressed the material to her nose, breathing in the scent of her best friend. When she raised her head, she saw the moon falling through the window, the curtains open. For a moment, Glinda could have sworn she saw someone sitting on the window sill. Slowly, the person turned their head, and met Glinda's eyes.

The blonde let out a sob as her best friend faded into the moonlight.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 9.**

Two days later, Glinda slid into her seat in her History 102 class. She smiled as Boq and Avaric joined her. As the rest of the class filtered in, and everyone took seats, they left two open: the ones near the window.

The seats that would have been Elphaba and Fiyero's. Slowly, Glinda turned, looking at the empty chairs. Her mind flashed to all the times she'd come in to class and see Elphie and Yero sitting together, talking softly, oblivious to everything and everyone around them.

_"No."_

_"Yes."_

_"Not possible." _

_"Are you sure about that? It seemed pretty possible last night when we were..." His voice faded as he gently nibbled on her neck, eliciting the soft moan from her vocal chords._

_"Mmm...oh Yero...."_

_She pulled away, taking his face in her hands and kissing him square on the mouth. _

_"Again? Tonight?" He asked, as they parted. She shook her head. _

_"This afternoon. Your dorm after class." She replied, wrapping an arm around his neck and pressing her forehead to his. It was only when class started, did they break apart. _

Class ended soon enough, with Glinda daydreaming about her best friend.....

"Hey Glinda, did you find anything?" Avaric asked, as she joined him and Boq during lunch. She shook her head.

"No. Just...a couple costumes, but....no letters."

"I wonder where she could have hidden them."

"Well, wherever she hid them, she hid them well....this _is_ Elphie we're talking about. She was always...precise.....meticulous....about everything. I wouldn't be surprised if she carved out a hole and slipped them into a wall. Elphie was that type. Even when we were in grade school she had to have everything prestine." Boq told them.

"What was she like? When you were kids?" Glinda asked. Boq thought a moment.

"Well, she was....quiet....I....I was her first friend.....her _only_ friend at the time...."

_The little girl looked up from her book, to see a boy standing in front of her. _

_"What do you want?" She asked, defensive. "Come to make fun of me some more?"_

_He shook his head. _

_"No. I....came to make friends."_

_"You don't want a green freak for a friend." She replied, closing her book and hugging her knees. He sat next to her. _

_"You're not a green freak. I think you're skin is pretty." Her head snapped up and she looked at him. _

_"Really?" He nodded. "Thanks." _

_"Welcome. I'm Boq." _

_"Elphaba."_

"She was my best friend for a long time. And then, when she stopped coming to school, I....I asked her sister what was wrong, and Nessa told me that their father had decided to home school her. But I knew that couldn't be right. It didn't seem right."

"Should we....keep looking for the letters?" Glinda asked. Avaric finished the rest of his lunch and took a sip of his coffee.

"We keep looking until we find something."

"What do you mean by something?"

"I mean until we find those letters and find out why they killed themselves."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: I got this awesome fleece blanket for my birthday- my grandmother made it. It's got Elphaba from _The Wizard of Oz_ film on it! It's awesome! All it needs is Fiyero and it would be perfect..... Anyway.....**

Later that night, Glinda searched for the letters. No luck. Instead, she found several things in Elphie's nightstand drawer. Sitting on her bed, she gently dumped the contents of Elphaba's nightstand drawer onto the blanket in front of her. The first thing she saw, was a number of empty oil bottles. Slowly, she picked one up, uncapped it, and sniffed it.

Raspberries.

_"Are you sure we should be doing this here?" _

_A giggle. _

_"Relax, Glinda's at this silly sleepovers. It's what the virgins do for fun." _

_They moved back to her bed, undressing each other as they went, shedding clothes like snakes shedding their skin. Finally, they collapsed on Elphaba's bed, kissing. Gently, she pushed him away, and grabbed a bottle of oil. After emptying some into her hands, she ran it over her stomach and over her legs and thighs, turning from him. Once she was done, she turned to him. _

_"Oil my breasts, will you?" _

_"I'm not that stupidly male, Elphaba." He replied. She reached out, grasping his chin in her hand. _

_"Yes you are, and that's why I love you." She replied, kissing him. "Now please." He sighed, and did as told, emptying some into his hands and then gently, tenderly, ran his hands over her breasts. She arched her back, letting out a soft moan as he hands ran down her body, followed by his lips. _

_"Raspberries?" A smile graced her lips, and she nodded. Soon, their lips met in a passionate kiss..._

Glinda wrinkled her nose, setting the empty bottle down, and turning to the other things. A ring. A beautiful, little silver ring. Squinting, Glinda read the engraving on the inside:

_My emerald rose._

It was beautiful.

_"Oh Yero!" _

_"Next year, we'll marry. I promise." _

_He slipped the ring on her finger, and then sat back against the tree as she wedged herself between his legs and leaned back against him. _

_"What will we do after?" _

_"Finish school, go to this tiny little village or....even just move into the woods and build this little cottage. We'll..."_

_"Spend every day making love." She filled in. He chuckled. _

_"If you want." He replied. "And we'll...have beautiful green-skinned children." _

_She sighed. _

_"That sounds nice."_

The last thing she came across was a pair of reading glasses. The glasses she'd worn the night before she died. They must have fallen into the drawer as Glinda was yanking it out.

_"Hey Elphie? ELPHIE!!"_

_The green girl looked up from her book, her reading glasses perched daintily on her beautiful, slender nose. _

_"What is it, Glinda?" Elphaba asked, laying her book in her lap and brushing a couple strands of hair off her shoulder. _

_"You sure you don't want to come out with Avaric, Boq, and I tonight?" She nodded._

_"Yeah. I'm gonna stay here. Spend some time to myself. But thanks for the offer." The blonde nodded. _

_"A...all right. I'll....I'll see you when I get back." She said, pulling on her coat, grabbing her purse and going to the door. "Bye."_

_Elphaba waved to her. _

_"Bye. Have fun."_

If only she'd known what they'd been planning. If only she'd known that suicide was their intent. She could have kept a close eye on them both.

If only she'd known....

Breaking into sobs, Glinda curled up on the bed, holding the reading glasses to her chest, sobbing herself to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: they were so happy together that they didnt even care when other students were rude to them and called them freaks..or you know, they cared but gave each other the strength to just ignore it all..the good in their lives was so much more present than the bad..it was like they lived in their own little world where just the two of them existed..it was so sweet..what could have gone wrong?**

**Answer: it will be revealed as the story goes on**

**Question: also glinda just hallucinated that she saw elphaba? or was it a ghost? or is elphaba somehow alive?**

**Answer: hallucinated? yes. ghost? yes. alive? no**

**Question: maybe because her magick was getting too out of control?**

**Answer: you'll find out...**

**Question: Maybe because he's just mean like that and didn't want her to get an education when he realized how much she liked to learn?**

**Answer: will be revealed in later chapters**

**Question: and they were planning on getting married?**

**Anwer: yes, they were**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 10 and 11, and StuckInSouthstairs for reviewing 9, 10, and 11. **

"Did you find them?"

Glinda shook her head.

"No. I looked through all her dresser drawers. Nothing."

"Well, maybe she didn't hide it in a drawer." Avaric said, as the three sat together during breakfast on Saturday morning. Boq took a sip of his coffee before answering.

"What do you mean?"

"Glinda, this is _Elphie_ we're talking about. She was the girl--"

"Is."

"-was the girl that-"

"Is."

"What?"

"Is. She_ is_ the girl. She's not dead. She's not." Glinda said, tears coming to her eyes. He sighed.

"Glinda, she's dead. She and Fiyero both. You have to accept that." The blonde shook her head.

"No."

"Yes." Gently, he covered her hand with his, squeezing. "She was the girl that organized her hair accessories by _color_. She's the one that lined all her shoes up in her closet in order of _heel height_. She's the one that kept her clothes hanging in her closet by the length of the sleeves. We'll never find those letters; the only way we'll find those letters is if we_ tear_ that room _apart_. For all we know, Elphie could have stitched them into her clothes and worn them everywhere. Like that royal family did during the Vinkun revolution."

"What family?" Glinda asked. Avaric and Boq looked at her like she was nuts.

"The Tiggulars."

"Fiyero's family? They're all alive....well, except for...."

"Not his family, his ancestors. Back in the 1500s, the Vinkus went through a revolution. Reskars- powerful men leading the revolution, put the royal family under arrest and on July 16th, 1519, took the family to this little manor house in the center of the nearest village, led them down to the celler, and massacred them. They'd been living in the manor for months, and in those months, the queen and her daughters had sewn jewels into their corsets, clothes, and pillows, so they'd be able to sell them to make a living if they were rescued. But they weren't. They were massacred and then their bodies were cut up and burned."

"What about their jewels?"

"The revolutionaries tore open their clothes and found the jewels, took them and sold them."

"Oh.....so, what does this have to do with Elphie?"

Boq sighed.

"Nothing. But _all I'm saying_, is that it wouldn't surprise me if Elphaba did the same thing the royal family did- sewed her letters into her clothes and wore them around. It seems like something Elphaba would do. We all know it. She was an exceedingly private person. The only one she really let in was Fiyero. I wouldn't put it past her." He finished his breakfast, and got up, as the others joined him. Together, they returned to Glinda's dorm room. It was then that they noticed that Elphaba's name plate was still on the door.

"I thought they would have taken that down after--" Boq said.

"I didn't want them too." Glinda said, as they entered the dorm.

"They didn't take Fiyero's plate off either." Avaric said, as the door closed behind him.

"Now, where do we start?" Glinda asked. Boq looked around.

"You said you checked all the drawers?" He asked. Glinda nodded. "All right, let's split this up. We'll start with the bathroom, and look through there. Then, we'll check your closet, Glinda, just in case she hid them there--"

"Why?"

"If Elphaba wanted a really good hiding place, she'd probably hid them in a loose panel in your closet, because she knew you'd never look for them. We'll check just to make sure."

"Okay."

"Then, we'll search both beds, the desk, fireplace, and Elphaba's closet. After that, we'll check the walls and floors. She could have loosened the floorboards and slipped them in there. Okay?" The other two nodded.

They searched everywhere, turned both beds upside down, took everythig out of both closets, and searched. They tore the whole room apart, and turned up empty-handed. Finally, after two hours, they collapsed in the room, exhausted.

"Nothing. There's nothing here." Glinda cried.

"She's smarter than we thought." Avaric said.

"Well, back to the drawing board." Boq muttered. Soon, the boys left, after righting the room. Once the door closed behind them, Glinda went to Elphaba's side of the room, and slowly, meticulously, searched by herself. It was as she gave up and turned to go to the bathroom, that something caught her eye. Turning, she slowly, walked back to the windowsill. Something was off.

Slowly, she ran her fingers over the sill, before opening the window and looking at the sides, where the window pane came down. Gently, her fingers ran down the sides, and she felt something brush against the meat of her fingers.

Gently, she grasped the thing, and pulled. Out, came paper, and several other trinkets- along with the wood. She gasped. Part of the windowsill was cut out.

Slowly, Glinda leaned forward, looking into the hole- it was good sized- big enough for paper and other little things. Then, she looked down at the paper in her hands.

Her eyes widened.

They were Fiyero's letters.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: _Gorgeous_ is Dee's accoustic version.**

**Question: HER GHOST?!**

**Answer: Yes.**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 12.**

She stared down at the letters.

They were definatley Fiyero's letters. That was his writing.

Her heart in her throat, she opened the first letter.

_Elphaba,_

_I hope everything's going well with you. I would love to hear you play the piano and sing someday. I bet you have an absolutley beautiful voice. I can't sing. I can draw really well though. I'd love to draw you someday, you're so....pretty. I mean....interesting! I meant interesting! Well, you are pretty. Really pretty. But...I guess the only way I'd ever get to draw you is if I saw you again, and I don't think that's going to happen. My mom's pretty mad. Your dad probably is too. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you into trouble...._

She was so caught up in the letter, that she didn't realize that it was midnight. Sighing, she went to bed, tucking the letters under her pillow.

The next morning, she dressed quickly, and rushed to the cafeteria.

"Avaric! Boq! I found them!" She cried, rushing to their table. The two looked up at her.

"Found what, Glinda?" Avaric asked, as Boq sipped his coffee.

"Her letters."

"We know. Fiyero kept them in his nightstand drawer."

She looked at him like he was insane, before realizing what she'd said.

"I mean, Fiyero's letters. The ones he sent to Elphaba. I found them."

"Really?" Boq asked. She nodded. "Where?"

"I found them in the window pane." Glinda told the boys as they rushed back to her dorm. Once inside the door, she rushed to the window next to her friend's bed, and pulled up the window. Quickly, she reached in and pulled the letters out; small pieces of cloth, a couple of bagged needles, small packets of what looked like ink, a couple small hooped earrings, a naval ring, and a small razor were some of the things that tumbled to the windowsill surface. Glinda looked up at the others. "Wh...This wasn't there last night. It's just a bunch of...junk."

"It wasn't junk to Elphaba if she hid it." Boq said, reaching out and picking up one of the packets of ink.

"What's the color?" Avaric asked. Boq studied it for a moment.

"Dark...blue? It looks like the color of Fiyero's diamonds."

_"Are you sure you really want to do this?" She nodded. _

_"Yes." _

_"You're sure?" She nodded, harder. _

_"Yes. Um....Yero?" She asked, as he gently traced the swirl of diamonds on her wrist; the ones on her stomach, back, and ankles had already been drawn and tattooed on. On her face, below and above each of her eyes, were two lines, that created harlequin diamonds. _

_"What is it, love?" He asked, glancing at her before returning to the diamonds. _

_"Does this mean we're married?" He met her eyes, a small smile coming to his lips. _

_"I guess, why?"_

_"Well, aren't these diamonds put on during the wedding ceremony?" He nodded. "Then doesn't that make us husband and wife?" She asked coyly. _

_"I guess it does." She let out a giggle, stealing a kiss before allowing him to start adding the ink. She let out a small hiss as he started, but soon, relaxed. Once he was done and cleaned off the excess ink, she looked at the diamonds. _

_"They're pretty." _

_"I'm glad." She took his chin in her hand. _

_"I love you, my husband." He chuckled. _

_"I love you too, my wife." He whispered, capturing her lips in his._

"What is this?" Boq asked, reaching in and pulling out several sheets of paper. Slowly, he unrolled it, revealing sheet music.

"Sheet music." Avaric said, looking at it.

"For what?"

"_Gorgeous_."

"What?"

"The title. It's called _Gorgeous_."

_"What do you want me to play, Yero?" _

_"Whatever you want, Fae." She nodded, thinking, before pulling several sheets of paper out of her book bag. Arranging them on the holder, she sat at the piano in the music room, and slowly, started to play. The music was soft, lilting, flowy. Her voice followed, beautiful, strong. When she would normally close her eyes, she kept them open, watching Fiyero. A smile appeared on his face, and he settled back to listen._

_"In a perfect world, in another time  
In a far off place we wouldn't need to justify  
Everything we are  
And all that we believe  
We could finally be  
Whoever we both want to be  
And when we can't be heard,  
And when we can't be seen  
I will call you close and  
You will reach for me._

_When all of the beauty turns to pain  
When all of the madness falls like rain  
As long as we crash and we collide  
We will be gorgeous, you and I._

_Through the window pane,  
Through the bedroom door  
This city wants to fight  
But it can't touch us anymore  
We have come so far,  
We have shed our skin  
The more that's taken from us now,  
The more we have to give  
And when we can't be heard,  
And when we can't be seen  
I will call you close and  
You will reach for me._

_When all of the beauty turns to pain  
When all of the madness falls like rain  
As long as we crash and we collide  
We will be gorgeous, you and I._

_And when we are drowning in the noise  
I'm gonna stop to hear your voice  
As long as we crash and we collide  
We will be gorgeous, you and I._

_(We'll be gorgeous)  
(We'll be gorgeous)  
In the perfect time  
(We'll be gorgeous)_

_And when we lose our faith  
In all that's beautiful  
You lift me to this place_

_When all of the beauty turns to pain  
When all of the madness falls like rain  
As long as we crash and we collide  
We will be gorgeous, gorgeous, yeah_

_And when we are drowning in the noise  
I'm gonna stop to find your voice  
As long as we crash and we collide  
We will be gorgeous, we will be gorgeous  
(you and I)_

_And when I lose my faith  
I don't know what to do  
You lift me to this place  
And make me feel so beautiful  
As long as you're right here by my side  
We will be gorgeous, you and I."_

_Once she finished, she asked, _

_"Well? How was it?" _

_He got up, going to her. _

_"It was gorgeous." He whispered, kissing her. "Absolutely gorgeous."  
_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Sorry it's so short.**

**Question: How can anybody not get that they (Fiyero and Elphaba) are the cutest couple EVER?**

**Answer: I don't know**

**Thanks to James Birdsong for reviewing 6 and 13 and to lizziemagic for reviewing 13.**

Glinda picked up the navel ring.

It was a pretty, silver barbell, with a dangling black rose and a banner saying 'True love' on it.

"Look at this."

"What is it?" Boq asked.

"It's a navel ring. Do you think it was Elphaba's?" Glinda asked.

"Could be." Boq replied. "Was her navel pierced?"

The blonde shrugged.

"I don't know. I never saw her stomach."

_"When did you get that done?" _

_"When I was sixteen. Do you like it?" She asked, straddling his lap, his shirt open on her body, exposing her bra-clad breasts and navel. _

_"It's beautiful." She giggled as he picked her up and carried her to his bed. A laugh escaped her throat as he kissed her navel._

_"Yero! I'm ticklish!"_

_"You are?" She nodded. _

_"Prove it." _

_Accepting his challenge, she kissed him._

Avaric looked through the letters, until one caught his eye.

"Guys, listen to this."

"What?" The others joined him on Elphaba's bed.

_Elphaba,_

_That's great that you got into Shiz! Hopefully we'll be in some of the same classes. Although... I hear they aren't very kind to 'Winkies'. Maybe they'll be kinder to Munchkinlanders? I miss you. Your last letter was far too short, and too long ago...._

"They must have stopped corresponding at some point." Boq said.

"But when?"

Glinda sighed, and sat next to Avaric.

"Did...Fiyero keep a journal?"

Avaric shrugged.

"If he did, then he hid it as well as Elphaba hid these letters. When Fiyero didn't want you to find anything, he didn't want you to find anything. Growing up with two older brothers and a younger sister taught him well." Glinda tumbled back on her bed.

"What now?"

"We search for Fiyero's journal, and keep looking through Elphaba's things." Boq said.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 14.**

Avaric sighed, and looked quickly around Fiyero's room.

"If I were Fiyero, where would I hide a journal?"

After a moment, he began searching, and only stopped, when Glinda knocked on the door.

"Find anything?" She asked, as she and Boq joined him. He shook his head.

"No. If I were to guess..." He started, sitting down on Fiyero's bed. "I'd say Yero learned a thing or two from Elphie."

Glinda chuckled softly, and took a seat next to him.

"So.... where do we start?" She asked, looking at him. After a moment, Boq spoke.

"Start with the windowpanes, anything that can be carved out or lifted up, like Elphaba's windowpane was, or the floorboards. Then, we'll check the dresser, closet, desk- anything with drawers or doors. After that, we'll check the bed and anything else that Fiyero could have hidden it in."

The other two watched as he walked around the room, checking the windowpanes and the dresser drawers.

"He's smarter than we thought." Boq said, turning to the other two.

"He was hanging out with Elphie far too much." Glinda said. Avaric shook his head.

"No. He was in love with her."

Soon, they began searching, and found everything _but_ the journal. Glinda's fingers brushed against something in his desk drawer, and she pulled it out.

"Guys."

"What is it?"

"Glinda? What's wrong?"

They joined her, looking over her shoulder.

_"You don't think it's too.... revealing?"_

_He chuckled and shook his head. _

_"Not at all. Do you?"_

_She climbed into his lap, and kissed him._

_"Nope." _

_They were locked in the kiss for several minutes, before Elphaba gently pulled away._

_"I love you, Yero." _

_He kissed her softly. _

_"I love you, Fae." _

_She giggled, stealing another kiss. _

_"Fae?"_

_Kiss._

_"Yes?"_

_Kiss._

_"I know this isn't the most romantic place to ask but-"_

_Kiss._

_"Yero, any place is romantic when you're there." Kiss. "Now, what did you want to ask me?"_

_He kissed her again, before pulling a box out of his pocket. _

_"Marry me, Fae."_

_Her jaw dropped, when she saw the small black box. Her eyes darted to his face, and she nodded. _

_"Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes! A thousand times, yes!" She cried, kissing him passionately._

Glinda looked back at them.

"They were engaged."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16.**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 15.**

"Wait a minute. What do you mean they were engaged?"

Glinda handed the small black box to Avaric, who opened it. His eyes widened, when he saw the stone winking back at him.

"What is it?"

"What do you mean what is it, Boq, it's an engagment ring." Glinda replied. He rolled his eyes.

"I know that. I meant the stone."

Avaric shrugged, and handed it over to Boq, who examined it. Seeing as his father was a jeweler, he knew all the stones and their origins by heart, having grown up in his father's jewelry store. After several moments, he handed it back to Avaric and said,

"It's a Vinkun."

"A what?" Glinda asked, looking at him.

"A Vinkun diamond. They're the rarest, most valuable diamonds in Oz. Wars have been fought over those diamonds; families have been massacred, politicians assassinated for those diamonds. To get your hands on one is... it's not possible. Instead of being mined in the mountains, like regular diamonds, they're mined from the ground-"

"Why is it red?" Glinda asked, making a face.

"I was getting to that. The blood red color is caused by the nutrients in the soil, the Vinkun fields are so rich in nutrients, that it turns the diamonds red- almost like a stain. The coloring is what makes these diamonds so valuable. For centuries, it was said that Vinkun diamonds were given to royalty by the gods themselves, and that the red of the diamond was the blood of the Gods spilling in battles. It was a way to distinguish. Nobility had regular diamonds, but only _royalty _owned blood diamonds, as they're called. It's almost_ impossible _to get your hands on one nowadays."

"But Fiyero could-"

"-because he's royalty." Glinda said, finishing Avaric's thought.

"_Vinkun _royalty." Boq said.

Convinced their small discovery was a major milestone, they went back to searching for Fiyero's journal...

Later that night, Glinda sat in bed, fingering the diary. She glanced at the little black box on her nightstand. They'd decided that Glinda should be the one to keep it, since she had all the other evidence in her dorm as well. After a moment, she turned back to the diary, opened it to a random page, and began reading.

_September 16th_

_The Train to Shiz_

_My Compartment_

_This isn't exactly how I wanted to spend my eighteenth birthday, on a train. Though I guess it's better than being at home for my birthday. At least I'm away from Nanny and Nessa, and Frex. I never mattered, and neither did my birthday. So I guess I'll be having a nice, quiet birthday, all to myself here in my compartment. I'll have a cup of tea, curl up in bed, read, and... Oh who am I kidding! I mean, I know that I'm used to not getting presents or wishes for a happy birthday, but for the last seventeen years, at least my birthday's been spent around people..._

After finishing the entry, she went to the next page, which was dated later, but on the same day. Seeing the first line, she sat up, her eyes taking it in in shock.

_Late Evening_

_I just met the sweetest guy possible; his name's Fiyero. Fiyero Tiggular, Prince of the Vinkus._

She'd met Fiyero on the train to Shiz?

_"Oh Oz, you scared me!"_

_"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." She relaxed. _

_"It's okay. I'm just not used to people coming my way."_

_He raised an eyebrow. _

_"Why?" She shrugged sheepishly._

_"Because... they're usually going in the other direction." _

_"Really? What for?" _

_A laugh escaped her throat. _

_"Are you kidding? Um... the skin is kind of a giveaway." _

_It was then that he really noticed her skin color. _

_"I think it's beautiful."_

_She blushed. "Th... thank you."_

_Then, they skirted around each other, before he grabbed her hand. _

_"Um..."_

_"Yes?" She asked, moving closer. _

_"Would you... like to go to dinner?"_

_She eyed him for a moment, before deciding he was serious. _

_"You'd take some girl- a complete stranger you don't even know- to dinner?" _

_He nodded. She bit her lip. _

_"Okay."_

_"Really?" She nodded. Two hours later, they met in the dining car, she in a nice dress and he in a nice suit. They ordered, and as they waited for dinner to arrive, they got to know each other a bit better. _

_"I'm the daughter of the Munchkin Govenor." His eyes widened._

_"Really?" She nodded, sipping her wine. _

_"And you?"_

_He sighed. "I'm..."_

_"Go on."_

_"I'm the Crown Prince of the Vinkus." _

_As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. On her face, was the same reaction a lot of people gave him. Mouth open, eyes wide in shock; now all that needed to happen was for her to-_

_"Oh my Oz!"_

_Right on cue._

_"Elphaba-"_

_"Oh Oz, I'm so embarrassed." She set her wine glass down and climbed to her feet. "I'm so sorry! If I'd known... I'm so sorry, I won't... I'll... I'll head back to... I'm so sorry." And she turned to flee. She made it out of the dining car and down the corridor, and had just grabbed the door to her compartment, when his voice stopped her. _

_"Elphaba!"_

_She stopped, taking a deep breath. "This is just great. Once again, I do something to screw up. I should have just stayed in my compartment and let the night pass. Happy birthday to me." She muttered. _

_"It's your birthday?" She turned slowly, wiping tears off her cheeks, nodding. "Well, then... come back with me. Dinner will be on me."_

_"But-"_

_"Think of it as... a birthday present." _

_After a moment, she nodded, taking his hand. _

_Two hours later, they stumbled back to Elphaba's compartment, giggling and laughing. _

_"I had a wonderful time. The best time I've ever had. Thank you, Yero." She whispered. _

_"You're welcome, Fae." They stared into each others' eyes, before he kissed her. When he pulled away, she pulled him back. _

_"Stay with me, Yero." _

_And she pulled him into the compartment. _


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17.**

**Rifiuto: Non M****iriena**

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long to update. I had it written and then I lost it so I had to rewrite it again.**

**Thanks to lizziemagic and Drama Queen Sunniebunn for reviewing 16.**

"Have you found anything else?"

Avaric shook his head as Glinda and Boq took a seat across from him in the cafeteria the next morning.

"Nothing."

"We're just running around in circles. All we have is the ring, Elphaba's journal and-"

"And what we've found so far." Boq said.

"Well, we can keep searching after breakfast." They all sat in silence, pushing the food around on their plates, before Glinda looked up and said,

"Can we search now?"

With their meals barely touched, they raced off to search the dorms for any new evidence. Splitting off to search the two dorm rooms, Glinda hurried across the green towards Crage, up the stairs and into her dorm. Once the door was closed behind her, she rushed to the windowpane next to Elphaba's bed and pushed the window up.

Sliding her fingers into the hole, she pushed the contents out, grabbing them as they fell to the floor. When her fingers curled around something and she looked down, she felt herself gasp, before dropping everything to the floor and rushing from the dorm. Her feet carried her across the green, into Briscoe Hall, and up the stairs. Bursting into Fiyero's dorm, she saw the guys look up at the sound.

"Glinda? What is it?" Boq asked.

"E... Elphie..."

"What? Glinda, take a deep breath. Now, what were you saying?" Avaric asked, dropping the bookbag he was going through and going to her. She sat on the bed and looked up at Boq and Avaric.

"I found something."

When they returned to the girls' dorm, Glinda hurried to the window and knelt down, picking up the compact. She turned to the guys as they joined her. After several minutes, Avaric looked down at her hand.

"What are these?" Avaric asked, picking up what looked like a make up compact. It was a small, plastic compact case, and when opened, it showed three rows of about thirty pills.

"Birth control." Glinda said worried, looking at them, noticing the confused looks on their faces. After several minutes, Avaric asked,

"Why would Elphie have birth control pills? She wasn't doing-" Both Glinda and Boq glared at him, shutting him up instantly, when he realized that what he was saying was ridiculous.

"She and Yero were dating. Maybe they were doing it." Boq said, taking the compact from Glinda and opening it. Silently, he counted out the pills, only half listening to the conversation.

"Having sex?" Glinda asked. Avaric shrugged.

"We'll never know."

"She must have been using them."

"Why do you say that?" Glinda asked. Slowly, Boq showed her the set, parting the top and bottom from the middle.

"Because there's about a week's worth still here. The others are missing."

"How do you know that?" Avaric asked.

"My older sister was on birth control from the time she was in high school. I've studied the affects of birth control, and often times used my sister as a guina pig. Why do you think I'm making medicine my degree? If I can help make protection easier to use, without the risk of pregnancy and the emotional affects, then I'm in the right career."

"What do you mean 'emotional affects?'" Glinda asked, confused.

"This type of birth control causes irrantionality and agressiveness in women. My sister used it and... there were times when she lost her temper and took it out on everyone else. She started talking irratically and ran away several times... we finally had to commit her for several weeks while it left her system."

"So... if Elphie was on the same birth control, could the pills have caused her... suicide?"

Boq shrugged.

"It's entirely possible. The symptoms of this birth control are infinite. I saw it with my sister. She even went so far as to set the house on fire when we all went out for dinner on my parents' anniversary when I was a junior in high school."

Ignoring the conversation, Glinda turned back to the windowpane and reached into the hole, her fingers finding something that hadn't fallen to the floor with the others. Slowly, she pulled it out, turning it over to examine it.

"Guys. Guys?"

"What is it?" Boq asked, turning to the blonde. Glinda's eyes widened in shock but she didn't look up.

"Oh my Oz."

"What? What's wrong?" Avaric asked, joining them.

Finally, Glinda looked up at them, turning the object towards them.

"Elphie was pregnant."


End file.
